I Wish You Were My Dad
by Emiiily
Summary: A series of one shots, revolving around Luke and Rory's father/daughter relationship from the time when Rory was eleven. Explores all those times that Luke was there for Rory when Christopher wasn't.
1. Meeting Luke

**Right this is another new idea **** It's Luke and Rory based, but there may be some Javajunkie in certain chapters. It's going to explore the father/daughter interactions between the two from the time they met, when Rory was eleven. It may be slightly AU in some chapters, but otherwise it'll just be the stuff we didn't see on the show, and how I think it might have been. Hope you enjoy this new idea.**

Luke was standing behind the counter on a warm June morning. He could hear the birds chirping outside and it was doing his head in, couldn't they just quieten down for a couple of seconds? He sighed and went back to the receipts he was sorting through, the mid morning lull was always boring and he found himself wishing the time away.

He looked up when he saw a young girl ride past on her bike. He felt himself smiling as he watched her; he wasn't sure why, but she looked familiar to him, even though he was certain he'd never seen her before. From his place behind the counter, he noticed she was smiling proudly and it made him smile even more. That was until the bike's front wheel twisted and the girl went barrelling towards the floor. Luke dropped his receipts on the counter and hurried out of the door to attend to the young girl's needs.

"Are you okay?" he asked when he reached her. He crouched down next to her and leaned forward so he could see her properly. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, causing Luke to frown at the fact that she was crying. He was never good at dealing with crying. "Hey uh, where does it hurt?" he asked softly.

"My knee," she replied, her voice was so weak and quiet, that it made Luke frown even more.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" When the girl shook her head, Luke took it as permission and lifted her trouser leg high enough to see her injured knee. There was a giant purple bruise forming right over her knee cap and a few scratches surrounding it. As soon as he saw blood, he acted right away. "Right, let's get you inside so I can clean you up." The girl looked up at him hesitantly.

"My mom said not to talk to strangers," she mumbled.

"Well we're only going in the diner," he told her. "Other people will probably come in and out." He saw her contemplating, until she finally nodded her head.

"Okay," she replied. "But if you turn out to be a weirdo, I'm going." Luke chuckled at this girl's forwardness; weren't kids usually shy.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"I guess so," she shrugged. She carefully stood up and held her trouser leg up above her injured knee. Luke held the door open for her and watched as she walked past him into the empty diner. "Wait, my bike," she said worriedly.

"I got it, don't worry," he reassured as he picked it up and rested it just inside the diner, against the window.

"You don't have many customers do you?" she asked curiously.

"It's always quiet this time of morning; the crowd's been and gone." The girl nodded and waited for him to get the first aid kit. "Sit on a stool," he ordered once he'd retrieved it. She did as she was told and watched as he pulled out some gloves, wipes and a few band aids.

"What are the gloves for?" she asked.

"Well I don't know if you have any infections do I?" The young girl giggled as she watched him slip his hands into the transparent gloves. "What's your name anyway?" he asked.

"Rory," she replied. "Well Lorelai actually, it's my mom's name. She named me after herself cause of something called Demerol," she explained. "Anyway I go by Rory for short, it would get a bit confusing if we had the same name." Luke marvelled at this girl's ability to talk, that air of familiarity returning. "Is your name William or Luke? Cause I saw the big William's Hardware sign outside, but then there's a small sign that say's Luke's on it. It's a little confusing."

"I'm Luke," he answered, desperate to get her to stop talking. "William was my dad, this used to be his hardware store."

"Oh, is he...not around anymore?" she asked carefully. Luke shook his head, not wanting to go into details. "My dad's not around much either," she admitted. "I see him now and again but he usually only comes around every four or five months," she said sadly. Luke looked at her sympathetically. "He sent my birthday card three months late last time," she frowned.

"Well at least you've got your mom right?" he asked softly, searching his brain for something to cheer this girl up. Rory nodded. "Do you get on well with your mom?"

"Yep, she's my best friend," she said proudly. "It's always been just the two of us, I like it that way."

"That's good," he said, smiling at how happy she sounded. "This might sting a little okay?" Rory nodded and winced as the alcohol wipe inched closer to her knee. Luke wiped over the wound quickly before pulling out a band aid and placing it over the bleed. "That should do it," he said in satisfaction. "Any other injuries you want me to look at?"

"My elbow kinda hurts," she said sheepishly, feeling stupid for complaining about a few cuts and bruises.

"Okay let's look at it." She held her arm out to him and he twisted it so he could see her elbow. There were a few more scratches and another bruise beginning to form. "I'll give it a wipe over but I don't think you need a band aid." Rory watched as he carefully cleaned her elbow, then disposed of the used wipe.

"Thanks for helping me Luke," she said gratefully, smiling at him brightly.

"No problem," he shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal. "You should be wearing a helmet though, and knee and elbow pads. It'll stop you getting injured next time you fall off."

"Mom was gonna take me to the store to buy some tomorrow," she said. "We just moved into a new house so she's kinda busy today." Luke looked at her thoughtfully.

"Hold on a second, I'll be right back." Rory watched him walk behind the curtain and immediately wondered where he was going. He returned holding a helmet and knee and elbow pads. "Here, you can have these," he offered her.

"Really?" she asked with a glint in her eye.

"Yeah, I don't use them anymore," he shrugged. "Take them."

"Thanks Luke," she exclaimed before enveloping him in a hug. Luke was taken aback at first but finally smiled and patted her on the head awkwardly.

"You're welcome. Now we should get you back to your mom, wanna show me where you live?"

"Okay, follow me." At that moment, Rory's stomach grumbled, signalling that she was hungry. Rory giggled in embarrassment so Luke went to the counter and picked out a brownie from the selection.

"Here," he said, holding it out to her.

"But I don't have any money," she frowned.

"It's okay, it's on the house." Rory grinned and eagerly took the chocolatey treat from him.

"Thank you," she said gratefully as they made their way out of the diner, Luke carrying Rory's bike for her. After he had locked up, they began the short walk to the new Gilmore house.

"So you just moved to Stars Hollow huh?" He thought he hadn't seen her around before.

"Well we used to live at the Independence Inn, but we never came into town really."

"Oh so you know Mia?" Rory nodded and smiled at him.

"She's like a grandma to me."

"Then Mia's a very lucky woman." They carried on their walk, until they reached the house in the corner. Luke thought it needed a bit of work doing to it, but other than that it was a fairly nice house.

"This is our new house," she said excitedly. "We named it the Crap Shack, cause it's a bit old but we like it."

"It's nice," he shrugged as he followed Rory up to the porch through the overgrowing grass. "You need a walkway or something."

"We need a lot of things," she replied as she opened the front door. Luke left her bike on the porch then followed her into the foyer. "Mom?" she called.

"Kitchen!" Luke recognised that voice, but where had he heard it before. The two made their way into the kitchen to find a young brunette surrounded by boxes. "Rory, I've been unpacking boxes for hours and there's still millions left," she whined. Rory appeared in the kitchen with Luke, but Lorelai was too busy pulling photo frames out of the boxes to look up at them.

"Mom this is Luke," she said, gesturing to the man that was currently standing in their kitchen. Lorelai looked up at the mention of a man's name, and immediately wondered what said man was doing in her kitchen.

"Oh err...I think we've met," she said nervously. "You're the guy from the diner right? Your horoscope is Scorpio..." Rory looked at her mom confusedly.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Oh long story," she brushed off. "So...Luke...what are you doing here?"

"Well Rory fell off her bike in front of my diner, so I cleaned her up and brought her back here," he replied, feeling slightly nervous. He couldn't believe that the woman who annoyed him for coffee just a few days ago was standing right in front of him, and that he was in her kitchen. He also couldn't believe that said woman had a daughter, who was at least ten or eleven. That was why he thought Rory looked familiar, she looked exactly like her mother.

"Sweets are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah I just scraped my knee," she shrugged. "Luke put a band aid on it for me."

"Well thanks Luke," Lorelai said gratefully.

"And he gave me a helmet to wear," she exclaimed, holding out the object to Lorelai. "Look it's blue, my favourite colour."

"Yeah, that's great hon," she said, brushing her hand through Rory's hair. She couldn't believe how kind this man had been to her daughter. They were practically strangers.

"Anyway I should get back to the diner," said Luke, beginning to feel like he was intruding.

"Oh okay," said Lorelai. "Well thanks for everything."

"Yeah thanks Luke," said Rory jollily.

"No problem," he said nonchalantly. "If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." The Gilmore Girls nodded and watched him leave the kitchen. Once they heard the front door close, Rory turned to Lorelai and grinned happily.

"I like Luke mom, he's nice."

"We'll have to see about maybe going for dinner at the diner one evening won't we?" she asked as she turned back to the box she was previously unpacking.

"Yeah that'd be cool," she replied excitedly. Lorelai smiled back at her before pointing to a box for her to unpack.

That was the first time that Rory Gilmore wished she had a father like Luke Danes.

**I'm not sure whether this is interesting or not...tell me, should I write more one shots? I actually had this idea while writing 'It's Just Me and You Now', because of Rory and Luke's daddy/daughter relationship in that story. Please review and I'll see about writing more for this.**

**Emily.**


	2. Caterpillar's Funeral

**Thank you so much for the reviews everyone :D I never thought I'd get that many. I hope I get as many for this chapter lol. So I won't ramble on and on and bore you all half to death, get reading!**

Lorelai and Rory found a table in the quiet diner and dropped into their respective chairs; it hadn't been a good day for Rory Gilmore, and Lorelai felt that she needed a big greasy cheeseburger to cheer her up. What better place to get it than Luke's Diner?

"What will it be tonight?" Luke asked tiredly, order pad in hand.

"Coffee," answered Lorelai, almost immediately.

"Of course," he said with an eye roll. "To eat?"

"Two cheeseburgers and fries, extra for her," she said, pointing to her unhappy daughter.

"What's with the long face?" Luke asked Rory. She looked up at him, her blue orbs filled with sadness.

"My caterpillar died," she mumbled before taking her attention back to the table in front of her. Luke looked at Lorelai exasperatedly, but she simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled sympathetically at her daughter. He stalked off back to the counter, put their order in then went about preparing the girl's drinks.

He returned to their table a few minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee in Lorelai's favourite mug, and a large glass full of chocolate milk. He set them down on the table and Rory smiled gratefully at him before taking a few large gulps of the brown liquid. Lorelai also smiled at him, and the fact that he always knew how to make Rory smile again; not that she wasn't pretty good at that herself.

XXXX

The next morning, Rory entered the diner and started walking towards the counter slowly. She clutched the piece of paper in her hand as she inched closer and closer, she had to admit, she was pretty nervous. She had been delivering invitations for the funeral all morning and everyone had agreed to attend, only because it was sweet little Rory Gilmore asking and they couldn't say no to those innocent baby blues. She finally reached the counter and looked up at Luke, suddenly feeling intimidated by him.

"Oh hey Rory, I didn't notice you were here," he said, once he saw her standing opposite him, only the counter separating them.

"I just came in," she explained. "I um...came to give you this," she said hesitantly, holding the small piece of folded paper out to him. He took it from her and unfolded it to see Rory's surprisingly neat scrawl filling it. After he'd read it, he looked up at her.

"You want me to come to your caterpillar's funeral?" he asked, a slight smile on his face. This was actually a really cute thing for her to do, although he wouldn't admit to thinking that.

"Yeah, other people around town have said yes and you were my last stop," she replied. Luke looked down at the invitation again, while Rory nervously awaited his answer. She knew it wasn't his kind of thing, but she was hoping he'd go, just because it was her.

"Well I'm running the diner all day but if there aren't any customers later on, I'll be there," he assured her. He saw her blue eyes brighten instantly and she jumped up and down excitedly.

"Thanks Luke," she said, sporting the hugest grin she'd ever worn. "I'm gonna go home and make the sandwiches right now, I'll make a salad one especially for you." Now he had to smile fully at that comment.

"Okay kid, now scoot, I've got customers to serve." Rory nodded and ran for the door, probably rushing home to tell her mom the good news.

XXXX

Everyone had arrived; well, almost everyone. Luke still wasn't here and Lorelai was beginning to wonder where he was. He'd better show up, especially after he'd gotten her daughter's hopes up and made her all excited. Luke was the only person besides herself that had managed to make Rory smile since the damn caterpillar died the day before.

Rory appeared from inside the house with a piece of kitchen roll rested on her hands, the dead caterpillar sitting on top. She stood on the porch and looked around their front yard at the ten or so townspeople gathered on the lawn. She scanned the crowd, but when she didn't see Luke, she frowned. That didn't go unnoticed by Lorelai and she gestured for Rory to come and join her by the tree where they were going to bury the insect.

"Is Luke not here?" the pre-teen asked anxiously.

"Not yet sweets, but I'm sure he'll get here as soon as he can," she reassured her daughter, although she felt like she was making excuses for Christopher, not trustworthy Luke.

"Should we start without him?" she asked uncertainly.

"Sure hon, whatever you want," Lorelai replied, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Okay people, gather round the tree," she called, grabbing the attention of the chattering townies gathered on her front lawn. They surrounded the tree and watched as Rory carefully set the caterpillar on the ground, the kitchen towel still underneath it.

"Can I start?" she asked nervously. When Lorelai and a few other townies nodded, she cleared her throat and stared down at the limp, green creature before her. "I hadn't owned him for long before he passed on, I hadn't even thought of a name for him yet. I was still making pro/con lists to find the one that fit best." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves; she wasn't used to talking in front of many people. She felt a hand come into contact with hers, the large fingers wrapping around her considerably smaller ones. She looked up and saw Luke standing next to her, smiling reassuringly. All her nerves seemed to melt away in his presence, so she carried on with her eulogy.

By the end, everyone was smiling sympathetically at a sad Rory Gilmore, her usually sunshiny self locked away on this particular occasion. Everyone made their way into the Crap Shack and gathered around the sandwiches, picking their way through until they found one that looked edible enough; Rory had made them after all. Rory and Luke had remained in the yard, staring down at the still insect before them. Luke cleared his throat so Rory looked up at him expectantly.

"I uh...I made this...for the caterpillar," he said awkwardly. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small wooden box, with a lid resting on top. "Well I made it for you really but the caterpillar's gonna go inside it," he justified, not wanting anyone to think he made a coffin for a stupid caterpillar.

"Thanks Luke," Rory smiled, taking the small box from his clutches. "It's like a coffin for him." Luke nodded in agreement.

"Yeah well no one deserves to have soil thrown over them right?" he said light-heartedly. Rory's grin grew and she kneeled down to get a closer look at the dead caterpillar. She reached for the creature, preparing to pick it right up and lay it in the 'coffin'. "Don't touch it like that, it could carry all kinds of diseases," said Luke protectively. "Here, let me." He wrapped the kitchen towel around the insect and quickly deposited it in the box, respectfully of course.

"Now we have to put it in the ground," she stated, the sadness returning to her voice.

"He's going to a better place," Luke said softly. He felt stupid but there was only Rory listening, so he carried on. "You have to lay him to rest now." Rory nodded and carefully placed the lid on the box. She sat it in the small hole she'd dug out earlier then sprinkled soil back on top, with the help of Luke, until it was safely buried. Luke looked up and saw a single tear roll down her cheek, immediately thinking up a way to make her feel better, the way he always did. In the end he decided to just hug her, and comfort her until she felt better. "You okay now?" he asked softly.

"Mm hmm," Rory replied, pulling away from him so she could show him her weak smile. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

"Come on, let's go join the others inside," he said, moving back into a standing position and wrapping his arm around Rory's shoulders, guiding her into the house. Little did the two know that Lorelai had been watching their interaction from the porch, coffee cup in hand. She'd seen how Luke had spoken to Rory with so much love and kindness. She saw him give her the box to put the caterpillar in and help Rory bury her beloved insect. And she'd also seen him comfort her daughter. It was obvious that Luke cared for Rory a great deal, probably more than Christopher ever would, and that made her smile. They were lucky to have a guy like him in their lives.

XXXX

Luke briefly went back to the diner that afternoon, but only to close up extra early and grab drinks and snacks for the Gilmore Girls. He had returned to the Crap Shack with coffee, hot chocolate and donuts, and all items were non-existent within ten minutes.

It was late evening now, and Rory was beginning to get tired. She'd woken up very early that morning to prepare for the funeral she was hosting, and her early start was catching up with her now, at eight thirty.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said, followed by a giant yawn.

"Okay babe, go get settled and I'll be in a minute," Lorelai told her. Rory nodded then sauntered off into her room to change into her PJs. Both Lorelai and Luke watched her go, then she turned to look at him, a smile gracing her face.

"You made her really happy today," she said knowingly, and also gratefully. Luke shrugged.

"I didn't really do much," he replied.

"You came, that was all she needed from you and you didn't let her down."

"I'd never let her down," he said. Lorelai already knew that of course, and simply nodded in agreement.

"I'll go tuck her in, be back in a second." Luke watched her go then sighed heavily; it had been a long day.

XXXX

"Hey hon," said Lorelai as she entered Rory's bedroom. She began tucking the covers around Rory, the way she liked them to be, then sat down on the edge of the bed. She stroked a strand of her daughter's hair away from her face and smiled at her. "Are you okay after today?"

"Yeah, I'm glad Luke came," she grinned.

"Me too sweets, now are you gonna get some beauty sleep?" Rory nodded.

"Can you send Luke in first though, I wanna say thank you again," she pleaded.

"Okay but not for long, you're exhausted," she warned. Rory nodded again eagerly and Lorelai kissed her forehead lightly. "Goodnight baby," she murmured as she backed towards the door.

"Night mom." Rory got more comfortable on her pillows, then looked up when she noticed Luke standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Hi Luke," she greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey," he replied, padding into her room. He crouched down by her bed and rested his forearms on the mattress. "Ready to get some sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you first."

"Well you're very welcome," he answered.

"It meant a lot to me that you came," she said in just above a whisper. "I know it isn't your kind of thing."

"It was important to you, of course I came." She smiled shyly then returned to playing with her bed sheets nervously.

"And thanks for the coffin," she added.

"No problem, thanks for the salad sandwich," he returned. Rory giggled and looked up to meet his dark blue eyes with her bright ones.

"I'm glad I met you Luke," she said quietly, but still loud enough for Luke to hear. Luke grinned up at her and patted her knee.

"The feeling's mutual," he replied. "Now it's time for lights out." He sounded so fatherly, that Rory almost forgot he wasn't actually her dad.

"Okay I'll see you tomorrow," she said before burying her head further into her pillow. Luke contemplated kissing her goodnight on the cheek or the forehead but decided against it; instead he ran his fingers through her tangled hair.

"Goodnight Rory," he whispered before heading towards the door and shutting off the light on his way out.

That night, Rory Gilmore dreamed that she had a father like Luke Danes.

**I hope you liked this chapter and I hope it's in character, I find that when I write Luke/Rory scenes I always make them too fluffy and Luke sometimes seems out of character. But hopefully I kept him as his gruff self with a bit of softness when the girls are involved. Please review **** I am really really happy with the responses I got for this story, I can't stop smiling haha.**

**Emily.**


	3. Deadbeat Dad

**Hi guys, sorry for the wait on this but I've been away for a few days. This is an extremely long chapter compared to the other two, that makes up for the wait. There is less Rory/Luke in this than in the other chapters, but there's still a sufficient amount I think. The next one will have more interactions between them, I promise. And I know this story is rated K but this particular chapter is probably a little higher than that, it's nothing major so don't worry. Just thought I'd better tell you all.**

**Thank you for the reviews **** I never expected to get such good feedback for this story, but you seem to like it so that's good. Hope you enjoy this, it might be a little sad, just a warning.**

"What do you wanna watch?" Rory asked her mother as they settled down for movie night on the couch, various junk foods surrounding them. Lorelai looked to be thinking for a second before the corners of her mouth turned upwards.

"Free Willy," she replied excitedly. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Not again," she complained. "Ever since you bought the video you've made me watch it at least seven times, and you only bought it two weeks ago." Lorelai pouted in true Gilmore fashion.

"But it's so good!" she argued. "When Willy gets set free, it almost makes me cry."

"I know, we watched it seven times already," she replied, stressing how obsessed Lorelai was with this particular movie.

"Please daughter of mine?" she begged, not willing to back down until a whale was on the TV screen. The mother and daughter stared at each other in an intense staring competition. But Lorelai's ability to out-stare caught Rory out and she found herself giving in.

"Fine," she said, crossing her arms over her chest sulkily.

"Aww you can choose next time," Lorelai cooed, squeezing Rory's cheek between her fingers. The eleven year old just gave her an evil look before stuffing a few marshmallows into her mouth. Just as they settled down for the movie, the phone rang. Lorelai groaned; who would interrupt her favourite movie of all time?

"We should answer that, it might be important," said Rory logically, she always thought with logic.

"You get it," she ordered. "And if it's Emily Gilmore tell her I'm not available right now but I'll see her at the Christmas party four months from now." Rory nodded, knowing her mom didn't get on with her parents. She didn't fully understand it but she never questioned it, it was between her mom and grandparents.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Hey it's dad," she heard Christopher's unmistakable voice on the other end and smiled immediately. It had been a couple of months since she'd heard anything from him, and the number he'd given her had been disconnected.

"Dad," she exclaimed, obviously extremely happy to hear from him. She hadn't been expecting to be hearing from him for a while. Lorelai's attention was caught when she heard who was on the phone and she rolled her eyes, wondering how he could possibly break her daughter's heart this time. "Where are you now? The number you gave me got disconnected."

"New York," he replied. "I'm actually heading east so you can expect a visit from me this weekend."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"You bet kiddo."

"That's so cool, I can't wait." She was practically bouncing up and down on the couch so Lorelai touched her shoulder to calm her down a little.

"Is your mom there?" Chris asked, obviously she's the majority of the reason for his visit.

"Yeah hang on." She held the phone out to Lorelai. "He wants to talk to you." Lorelai inwardly rolled her eyes; it was the same old routine.

"Hi Chris," she said, mustering up some enthusiasm for Rory's sake.

"Lor, it's good to talk to you again." She could hear the smile in his voice and it kinda made her smile to herself.

"Yeah, you too," she said sincerely. "It's been a couple of months."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he apologised. "I've had a lot on recently." Lorelai had the urge to have a go at him, but Rory was still sitting next to her so she refrained. "So what've you been up to recently?"

"Erm...been doing some training at the inn, Mia promoted me to Junior Manager," she said proudly. It was the biggest achievement she had made so far in her career and she wanted to shout from the rooftops that she started out as a maid but now assists in running the place.

"That's great Lor, congratulations."

"Yeah, thanks," she replied. Rory held up an empty bowl and pointed towards the kitchen, indicating that she was going to fill it up. Lorelai nodded distractedly before going back to her conversation with her daughter's father. "So you're coming to Stars Hollow again?" she asked.

"Yeah, this weekend," he told her. "I'll spend some time with Rory; maybe take her to a museum or something."

"Look Chris, you'd better be serious about this," she said pointedly. "Because you show up, stick around for a few days; give us your new phone number then leave. Then surprisingly, a week later when she tries to call you, the number's been disconnected. It breaks Rory's heart and I hate seeing her like that. I don't want it to happen this time."

"I won't hurt her," he reassured her. "I'm gonna be there, probably Friday night."

"Okay but I swear Christopher, I'm not gonna take it anymore. If you want a proper relationship with your daughter, prove it." Chris nodded, even though she couldn't see him.

"Okay, she won't be disappointed." Rory came back into the living and plopped down on the couch, smiling widely at her mother.

"Good, I'll pass you back to Rory now."

"Well I can't wait to see you Lor," he said softly, she'd heard it all before though.

"Okay bye." She handed the phone back to her daughter and fell back into the cushions. She really hoped Chris pulled through this time.

"It's me again," she told him. "I actually just remembered that there's this thing at my school on Saturday," she said.

"Oh yeah?"

"It's a play, Shakespeare actually."

"Wow, what part do you play?" he asked in interest.

"Hermia," she replied. "It's A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"That's great honey," he smiled. "Count me in." Rory's smile grew considerably.

"Okay I'll get you a ticket tomorrow," she said excitedly.

"Cool, so I'll see you soon."

"Okay dad, love you."

"Love you too sweetie." Chris hung up and Rory looked at the receiver happily.

"He's coming over this weekend," Rory told her mom excitedly.

"Yeah I heard," she replied. She just hoped it wouldn't all end in tears, the way it usually did.

XXXX

The Gilmore girls decided to go to Luke's for dinner on Friday evening. Rory bounced down the sidewalk jollily, majorly excited for her father's impending arrival as the eldest of the two trudged along behind, filled with worry and dread. She would absolutely kill Christopher if he disappointed her daughter, and she was pretty sure Luke would too. She'd often vented her feelings to the diner owner over a cup of coffee during a lull, telling him all about Rory's father and how she thinks they're better off without him. Now she was certain that Luke hated his guts.

"Hi Luke," Rory called merrily as she found a table to sit at. Lorelai followed and dropped into an empty seat.

"Hi Luke," she greeted in a much less enthusiastic tone.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked Rory. "And why are you so grumpy?" he asked Lorelai. Rory grinned up at him while Lorelai just scowled.

"My dad's coming to town tonight," she told him. Luke's eyebrows shot up but Rory continued her tale. "He's due to arrive any minute, I can't wait." Luke looked down at Lorelai and they shared a knowing, meaningful look.

"Coffee," she said monosyllabically. Luke nodded in acknowledgement then turned his attention to Rory again.

"That's great Rory, I can see you're excited," he said, not really knowing what to say. If he was alone, he'd be cursing over the guy right now. Rory nodded eagerly in agreement with his comment then pulled out his order pad. "What will you be drinking tonight?" he asked, quite formally for Luke but the girls could tell he was just joking around. He frequently joked with them, but he crawled back into his shell with his other customers. Rory looked at the table thoughtfully, gaining some courage.

"Coffee please," she said confidently.

"Absolutely not," both Luke and Lorelai said at the same time. Rory made a pouty face but Luke shook his head firmly, determined to stand his ground.

"Hon, I said you could have your first cup when you're thirteen," Lorelai reminded her. "Not a day before."

"But..." she began to protest.

"If I had my way you wouldn't have a drop of coffee your entire life," warned Luke.

"But you're not my dad, you can't tell me what to do," she retorted, not realising how much she had hurt Luke's feelings with that comment.

"Rory," Lorelai scolded, shocked at her daughter's lack of sensitivity. Luke had been there a lot for them since they moved to the Crap Shack; he didn't deserve to be spoken to like that.

"Okay so what are you both eating tonight?" he asked, trying to mask his upset by changing the subject. "Usual?" Lorelai nodded and Luke walked away to prepare their 'heart attack on a plate' as he fondly called it. She watched him walk away then once he was out of ear shot, she played the mom card.

"What was that all about?" she asked, appearing to be mad at her pre-teen daughter. Rory looked up at her, a shadow of shame crossed over her face. "I did not raise you to talk to people like that, you know better," she said. "Luke has been there for us lately, fixing things and whatever, there was no need for you to speak to him like he was something you stepped in on the street." Rory looked down at the table, obvious guilt resting on her shoulders. "I want you to apologise to him when he comes back over here," she said sternly. Rory just nodded before getting up and mumbling something about the bathroom. She wasn't used to her mom being so stern with her, but she knew deep down that she deserved it.

"Hey, I got your drinks," said Luke as he walked over to their table with a mug of coffee and a glass of orange crush.

"Thanks," she said gratefully as she took a few sips of the inky liquid.

"So what's up with Rory?" he asked, knowing she wasn't herself due to her last comment. Lorelai shrugged. "Think it's something to do with Christina or whatever his name is?"

"Christopher," she corrected, a small smile gracing her lips at his obvious mistake. Luke shrugged, indicating that he didn't really care what the guy's name was.

"Potato, Pot_a_to," he said.

"She's been really happy about it since he called a few days ago, I don't know what came over her just now."

"She's probably just nervous cause she hasn't seen him in a while, or she's fed up of waiting for him to get here."

"Maybe," she sighed before checking her watch. "He's supposed to be here by now; I hope he's not backing out." Rory reappeared at the table and Luke scurried off to the kitchen, remembering the burgers currently on the grill. They heard a few loud noises come from the kitchen, distinctly sounding like pots and pans landing on the floor, and then a few curse words from Luke followed, ones that should not be heard by young ears. "Luke, you okay?" Lorelai called, the amusement she got from his outburst evident in her voice.

"Yeah uh...make sure you wash Rory's ears out with soap when you get home," he replied, eliciting a giggle from the youngest Gilmore girl. He appeared from the kitchen holding two plates piled up with a burger each and a mountain of fries. "What does it feel like to have death handed to you on a plate?" he asked, referring to their usual junk eating habits.

"Heart warming," Lorelai replied sweetly before squirting a pool of ketchup over her fries while Luke looked on in disgust.

"Heart clogging more like," he muttered. Lorelai kicked Rory under the table, gaining an 'ouch' from the girl in question. Lorelai gestured to Luke with her eyes and Rory looked up at the diner's proprietor nervously.

"Um...sorry about what I said before Luke," she said quietly, managing to uphold the eye contact with him. "I didn't mean to sound so rude, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." Luke stared down into the bright blue eyes of Rory Gilmore, and found himself smiling slightly in forgiveness.

"Don't worry about it; you have a lot on your mind tonight right?" It was more of a statement than a question but Rory nodded anyway.

"So we're okay?" she asked, hoping she hadn't made things awkward between them or made it look like she didn't like him or something. Because that was definitely untrue, she was beginning to love Luke for the father figure that he is.

"We're always okay," he assured her. "Now eat your poison before it goes cold." He stalked off behind the counter, leaving a chuckling set of Gilmore girls to eat their evening meal together.

XXXX

"Mom can I go to Doose's to get some twizzlers?" Rory asked after she'd swallowed the last of her burger. It was still relatively light outside so Lorelai agreed; she could watch her daughter walk across the square anyway from where she was sitting in the window of Luke's.

"Sure," she replied. She reached into her purse and pulled out a ten. "Get me some red vines will ya?"

"Okay, shall I get pop tarts too? We only have one pack of chocolate left."

"Yeah and get some cookies and cream ones too," she said thoughtfully.

"That's it though cause a ten won't cover anything else," she said knowingly, that logic returning. "Taylor's prices are extortionate."

"Okay my little whizz kid, get your butt over to the market before it closes," she ordered, not able to stop the smile spreading across her lips at her smart kid. She watched Rory run across the square then turned her attention away from the window when she was satisfied her daughter had made it safely inside the market.

"Where's she going?" Luke asked, noticing Rory had left the diner.

"We need candy," she shrugged. "And pop tarts." Luke rolled his eyes.

"I was gonna bring you pie," he said matter-of-factly.

"We can eat some pie too," she replied. "Whatcha got?"

"Cherry or apple," he replied.

"Ooh um...cherry," she said decisively. "No apple...no..."

"I'll bring you both," he said, cutting off what could have been a very long one woman debate. Lorelai smiled her gratitude then noticed Rory reappear from the market. She watched as she carefully crossed the road, but was stopped by a man on a large motorcycle. Her motherly instinct immediately kicked in and she jumped up from her seat.

"Luke, hold the pie for a bit," she called as she rushed over to the door, eager to get her daughter out of harm's way.

"What's going on?" he asked, wondering why she had a sudden outburst and was heading towards the door. Lorelai looked across the square through the diner's window, where the man was taking off his helmet and Rory was smiling. That's when his identity was revealed and she realised it was her kid's father.

"Christopher?" she asked herself. Luke came to join her by the window, watching as Rory jumped up and wrapped her arms around the man's neck.

"So that's Rory's dad?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Yup, that's him." He noticed she sounded less than pleased to see him, so he called her up on it.

"And you don't want him here," he stated. He knew he was probably correct anyway; she was definitely having some doubts about his presence. Lorelai shrugged, it's not that she didn't want him here at all; she just couldn't put it into words.

"No, I like that he's here to spend time with Rory, but..."

"But you're worried he's gonna leave and make her upset...again," he said, taking the words right out of her mouth. Lorelai nodded wordlessly, he'd obviously listened to her when she'd ranted to him on those quiet afternoons. "She's getting older now, she can understand it better."

"You haven't seen her when he leaves though, there's crying and ice cream, I don't think I can watch her fall apart like that again." Luke looked at her sympathetically before wrapping his arm around her waist hesitantly. When she moved closer to him, he took the opportunity to pull her into a comforting hug to attempt to make her feel better. He felt her arms snake around his waist loosely, accepting the comfort he was offering.

"I'll help out in any way I can," he said into her hair. He swore he felt a shiver course through her but he dismissed it, thinking that he most probably imagined it. He had secretly begun to feel something towards Lorelai Gilmore, something more than the friendship they shared. It was a nagging feeling in his gut, and it made him smile every time he saw her, or every time she looked up at him through her dreamy blue eyes. He was beginning to think he had a slight crush on the lively young woman.

"Thank you," she said as she pulled away. She straightened out her clothing then stepped further away from her friend Luke, cause that's all he was; her friend. "I should get out there." Luke nodded and watched her gather both her and Rory's jackets. "I'll probably see you tomorrow sometime."

"Okay, I hope everything works out," he said, meaning the Christopher situation. She thanked him once again then went out onto the sidewalk, where Chris and Rory were walking down; his arm snaked around her shoulders.

"Hey Lor," he greeted, his smile going up a few notches at the sight of her. He removed his arm from around Rory and reached his arms out to pull his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child into a hug. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, dangerously close to the corner of her mouth in Lorelai's opinion, and then pulled away completely. He smiled at the Gilmores then Rory grabbed his hand and dragged him in the direction of their house, babbling away as they went.

Rory spoke animatedly all evening, the excitement she felt about seeing her father shining through in her tone of voice. Lorelai noticed Chris sneaking glances at her every so often, well more often than she cared for really, but simply gave him a smile before taking her attention back to their daughter, who was oblivious to the interactions.

"Time for bed sweets," Lorelai said, tapping her wrist to tell her daughter that it was getting late.

"But mom..." she whined. "I wanna talk to dad a bit longer." Lorelai shook her head stubbornly, causing Rory to pout. Christopher laughed at their antics, but figured her should back up Lorelai on this one.

"Come on kiddo, I'll tuck you in," he said. "Show me where your room is." Rory jumped at the chance and bounced off towards her bedroom. After another long conversation and a whole lot of goodnights, Christopher returned to the living room, having successfully settled Rory down from her hyper state. He collapsed on the couch and sighed heavily. "She's a great kid," he said, an ounce of pride filling his voice.

"Yeah, she's the best," replied Lorelai softly. "She's happy to see you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she doesn't usually talk so much," she chuckled. Christopher smiled, then moved closer to her on the couch, that didn't go unnoticed by Lorelai.

"You know, I'm happy to see her mom too," he said quietly, gradually inching closer to her. She was all too aware of his close proximity and she didn't like it one bit.

"Chris," she murmured, but she wasn't sure he heard her. His face came closer to hers until their lips touched, and he instantly forced his tongue into her mouth. At first she was lost, not quite sure what she was doing, but as his tongue ran across hers forcefully, she had a flashback to the night Rory was conceived and how his tongue had felt very much the same as it did right now. That's when she knew this had to stop, because Christopher wouldn't even think twice about sleeping with her tonight; that's not what she wanted.

"Chris," she said as his lips continued to crash against hers. She knew he heard her that time, he was purposely ignoring her until she'd give up and let him go all the way. That wasn't going to happen. She forcefully pushed on his shoulders, but he took it the wrong way and pulled her down onto him as he lay down on the uncomfortable couch. She finally managed to pull away and scrambled to her feet, fixing her dishevelled clothing. "Christopher, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily.

"I wanna be with you Lor," he said in a lust-filled haze. She shook her head insistently.

"No Chris," she warned. "That is not gonna happen."

"Why not?" he asked. "We'll be good together, you, me and Rory, we can be a family."

"You say that now," she said knowingly. "But how do I know you're gonna stick to your word?"

"I've changed Lor, I'm ready for the whole mom, dad and kid thing now."

"That's what you always say!" she said, raising her voice and forgetting about her sleeping daughter just a few rooms away. "You say we can be a family and that you've changed, so I let you into my home, into my bed, into my heart. I let you into my daughter's heart but you screw it up every time Christopher. I can't do it anymore, once you've had the sex you came looking for, you disappear again and I can't let you take advantage of me like that. Do you know how much you hurt your daughter every time you disappear? You crush her, it's like you've taken her heart and trampled on it until there's nothing left in it." A few tears sprang to her eyes but she refused to let them fall, he wasn't gonna reduce her to crying, he didn't have that power.

"Well I can tell I'm not wanted around here," he said, feigning hurt when really he was frustrated that Lorelai was refusing him.

"You are wanted Chris, Rory wants you," she stressed. "She wants you to be a proper dad to her and stick around for longer than five minutes."

"But I want you Lor," he said desperately.

"God the only reason you come back is to try to get in my pants," she shouted. "Do you even care for your daughter at all?"

"Of course I do, but I care for you too," he told her. Lorelai shook her head.

"It's not gonna happen Christopher, you need to get your priorities straight. Rory comes first in before everything, you need to realise that." Christopher looked at the floor then back up at her expressionlessly.

"I guess I've got some things to figure out then," he said. He walked into the foyer towards the front door, with Lorelai hot on his heels.

"Where are you going?" she asked, hoping to god that he wasn't gonna storm out and leave again.

"I'm leaving," he said harshly.

"Wha..."

"If you don't want me here, then I'm gone. Tell Rory I'm sorry." He threw open the door and stomped out onto the porch. Lorelai stopped in the doorway, calling his name over and over, telling him to come back. But he continued to walk away, leaving Lorelai once again with what will be a distraught daughter.

XXXX

Rory lay in bed wide awake, listening to her parents arguing. The tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks, leaving her pillow wet with saltiness. When she heard the front door open and the words 'I'm leaving', she knew it was happening again; her father was disappearing after just a couple of hours of being with her. She climbed out of bed and kneeled by her window, watching her father walk through their yard as her mother's voice trailed into the darkness.

She was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with her, something that made her dad disinterested in her. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened between her parents just minutes earlier, but it obviously annoyed her mom, and it seemed that the way she was talking, it was a regular occurrence when her dad visited them.

She heard Lorelai's bedroom door close and let out a heart breaking sob. Everything was going so well before she went to bed, she was enjoying herself. How did it all go downhill so quickly? She slipped into her robe, slid her feet into her sneakers and quietly opened her bedroom door. She tip-toed over to the back door, pushed it open then closed it silently behind her, before running towards the town square.

She knew she shouldn't be doing this, her mom would freak if she found her bed empty. But she couldn't stop herself. She needed comfort, but knew her mother would be upset too and she found it best to leave her be when she was like that. So she ran to a place where she knew she'd be welcomed with open arms, somewhere she knew would make her feel better.

She knocked on the diner door repeatedly, hitting it as hard as she could, certain that if she hit any harder, her hand would go straight through the glass. She was beginning to get a little freaked out at how dark it was in the square, and while she knew Stars Hollow was a safe town, she couldn't help but worry a little. Finally, a figure came barging through the darkened diner and swung the door open unhappily.

"What the he...Rory?" he asked, his voice softening when he noticed it was her. "What are you doing here?" He noticed she was crying and immediately brought her inside, switching the lights on so he could see her better. "Sweetie what happened?"

"D...dad," she stuttered. It dawned on Luke then that she was referring to Christopher. He hadn't left already had he?

"Come here," he said as he gathered her in his arms. He hugged her tightly, running his hand through her tangled bed head and she cried into his shoulder. He let her calm down a little before pulling away and studying her face.

"He left," she murmured. "Him and mom argued and he left." She sniffled, still clutching his shirt in her balled fists.

"Are you sure he's gone for good?" he asked, trying to ease her pain.

"His motorcycle's gone," she replied, looking over to where he had parked it earlier. Luke frowned then looked down at the girl sympathetically. "He was supposed to come see my school play tomorrow, I got him a ticket and everything." Luke wanted to kill the idiot right now, he didn't deserve to be Rory's father.

"I'll come to your play," he said. It wasn't usually his thing, but this was Rory he was talking to now. He would do anything to make her happy.

"What?"

"I'll come see the play," he repeated. "A Midsummer Night's Dream right?" Rory nodded. She loved it how Luke took an interest in her and her life. He always knew what she had going on. "I'm not really into Shakespeare though; I could never understand the language."

"We've made a modern version of it," she assured him. "It's totally understandable." Luke smiled at her, but he could see the sadness in her eyes and he had the urge to ask the question that had been playing on his mind since she arrived on his doorstep.

"Why did you leave the house huh?" he asked. "Your mom's gonna freak when she notices you're not in your bed. It's dangerous outside at night, you shouldn't be wondering around by yourself." Rory nodded.

"I know, but I just needed...I don't know," she said confusedly.

"You needed someone to talk to?" he filled in for her. She nodded. "Couldn't you talk to your mom?" She shook her head.

"She's upset too, I didn't wanna bother her."

"Okay, but promise me you won't run away like that again," he said sternly. "I don't want anything to happen to you, who else would eat my brownies?" She cracked a small smile but her eyes didn't light up like they usually did.

"I promise I won't run away again," she told him, letting his shirt slip from her tight grasp.

"Good. Now we'd better get you back home before your mom finds your bed empty." Rory nodded; suddenly realising the possible consequences of her running away tonight, anything could have happened to her. When she made no move to walk towards the door, Luke lifted her up and sat her on his hip, the way you would with a baby. He realised Rory was a bit too old for being carried around, but she was in a fragile state and needed babying a little bit. Once they were back at the Crap Shack, Luke put Rory on her feet. He bent down and wiped the tears from her cheeks, before smiling at her sympathetically. "You feeling a little better now?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, thanks Luke." She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, almost strangling him as she squeezed him tight.

"Can't breathe," he muttered breathlessly. Rory giggled and pulled away, apologising for her unexpected gesture. "Ready to face the music?" he asked. Rory nodded hesitantly so Luke reached up and knocked on the door a few times.

"Luke?" she asked sheepishly. He turned to look at her, his arm around her shoulders. "I...I'm glad I have you," she finished. She was going to tell him she loved him, but she changed her mind at the last minute, not sure what his reaction would be.

"Feeling's mutual," he replied, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. They stood there on the porch, late that Friday night, waiting for Lorelai to answer the door.

That was the first time that Rory Gilmore knew for sure that she loved Luke Danes, as a father figure of course.

**Hope it didn't make you upset at all! I've wanted to do a Christopher chapter since I started this so I think this fulfils my wish. Please review; I really appreciate your kind comments and ideas. I will try to cram them into the story at some point, but I'm undecided on whether to do them in chronological order as Rory gets older, or whether to do them randomly and let you know how old Rory is at the time. Let me know which you think would be best, they've been in order so far.**

**That's all for now, like I said, please review :D**

**Emily. **


	4. Father Daughter Day

**Ahh Friday the 13****th**** :O I hope the day went smoothly for everyone and that nothing bad happened! **

**Okay so this is my last update before I go away next week, Monday to Friday. But I will update the week after I get back, I promise **** Thank you for your reviews, this story has been quite a hit, didn't think it would be!**

Rory dragged her feet home from school one sunny Tuesday afternoon, her sneakers getting scuffed as she scraped the side of them against the sidewalk. She usually enjoyed school, she found her lessons to be fun and interesting, and there was the fact that she was really good at most of them, gym excluded.

But on this particular day, Rory had not enjoyed her schooling one little bit. That was due to the fact that father/daughter day had been brought up again. She'd managed to avoid it the previous year, because she'd gotten sick and couldn't go to school anyway. But this year she knew she wouldn't be able to get out of it, and that was what had gotten her down.

Well that, and the fact that all day long, everyone in her class had been talking about their fathers. From what they did for a living, to what car they had, they hadn't taken a break from their boasting. Hardly anybody talked to her anyway, so she had avoided it to some extent, as they weren't speaking directly at her, but even her best friend Lane had been talking about her father.

So now Rory was rounding the corner to her house with the dullest look on her face anyone in town had ever seen, a piece of paper clutched between her fingers at her side. She made it onto their front lawn and noticed her mom standing at the top of the porch steps. It was a regular thing, Lorelai would stand and wait for Rory to get home from school, seeing how the pre-teen insisted on walking home by herself, then they would hang around and do nothing until dinner.

She looked up and smiled softly at her mother; it was a genuine smile, as Lorelai was the only person she had been happy to see that day. She shook her backpack off and let it fall to the grass, before jogging up the steps and flying into Lorelai, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Lorelai was a little shocked at first, yes the two of them were best friends, but Rory never usually showed this much affection towards her at a first sight. That's when she knew something was wrong.

"What's the matter, sweets?" she asked softly, running her hand over her daughter's smooth brown hair. Rory simply held the piece of paper out to her and allowed her read through it before burying her face in her mother's shirt again. "Aww hon, I'm sure if you call your dad, he'll come by for it." Although she wasn't so sure.

"You think so?" she asked hopefully.

"Maybe, it's worth a try right?" Rory smiled a small smile, a smile of hope. "And if not, I can always come instead."

"That'd be weird mom," she said pointedly.

"No way, I could totally dress up as a man," she said surely. "I have the tall thing down, and my boobs aren't that big so it's not so obvious." Rory giggled, and Lorelai smiled at her amazing ability to always cheer her daughter up. "What d'ya say?"

"I'll see what dad says," she said.

"Okay good, now why don't you go on inside and set up Ker Plunk?"

"You're not gonna beat me," teased Rory.

"Oh we'll see about that Missy, one of items on my 'things to do before I turn thirty' list is to beat you at that damn game."

"You'd better hope you never turn thirty then," she giggled before she disappeared into the Crap Shack. Lorelai shook her head at her daughter's antics before walking across the lawn to grab Rory's backpack, still holding the letter in her right hand.

"Did she have a bad day at school sugar?" Babette asked from where she was attending to her gnomes. She'd seen Rory's strange behaviour and figured that was the reason for it.

"It's father/daughter day next week," she replied.

"Ah, always puts the poor girl on a downer," she said knowingly.

"Yeah, hopefully her dad will show up. I doubt it though," she frowned.

"He's crazy to stay away from two beautiful girls like you and Rory, you tell him that next time you see him."

"I will, thanks Babette," she chuckled.

"And if Rory's not feeling better after dinner, send her round for some lemon meringue pie," she ordered.

"You got it, see ya." Babette gave a quick wave as Lorelai sauntered into the house, hoping everything would turn out in their favour.

XXX

"Oh, okay," said Rory as she spoke to Chris on the phone. Lorelai could tell from her daughter's fallen expression that the conversation was not going well.

"I promise I'll stop by sometime soon though," he said. Another empty promise.

"Yeah, that'd be good," she murmured.

"Ok kiddo, I've gotta go," he told her. "The game's starting." Rory could hear a few guys cheering in the background, and the faint sound of beer bottles clanging together.

"Love you dad." But Chris had already hung up. Rory frowned at the phone then dropped it onto the coffee table with a loud sigh. "I'm going to bed," she said tiredly. "Night."

"Hey, what's going on?" Lorelai asked, wondering why she was suddenly running off to her room at eight thirty.

"Dad can't come," she whispered as her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh honey," she said sympathetically as she pulled her daughter into a hug.

"It's okay, I knew he wasn't gonna say yes anyway," she said into Lorelai's pyjama top. Lorelai grasped the sides of her daughter's face and looked into her bright blue eyes.

"I hate it when your dad does this to you," she said sadly. "But you shouldn't let him get to you so much okay?" Rory nodded. "I get that you miss him but we've gotta stay strong kid."

"I know," she muttered.

"Good, now go put your PJs on then choose which movie you wanna watch," she ordered. "I'll get the pop tarts and potato chips."

XXX

Rory was sitting at the counter reading a book two days later. School had just finished, and Lorelai was still at work, so Rory had been summoned to the diner.

"You gonna order?" Luke asked gruffly as he watched her concentrate. Rory put her finger over the line she was currently reading then looked up at him in annoyance.

"I already told you, I don't have money," she said.

"Put it on your mom's tab, she hasn't paid me for months." Rory shook her head.

"I don't wanna be indebted to you."

"You're not, your mom is," he said pointedly. Rory glanced at him for a moment then got bored and took her attention back to her book. Luke furrowed his brow as he wondered what had gotten into her, she was usually so kind, but she was acting pretty cold right now. He watched her for a few moments before taking the lid off the pie tray and cutting a 'Gilmore' size slice for her. He slid it across the counter to her, then waited for a reaction.

She seemed to notice it was there, but didn't make a move to put her book down and pick up a fork. Luke noticed her frequently glancing at it, as if it was screaming at her to eat it, but she resisted and took her attention back to her book. Finally, after fifteen minutes of this, she put her bookmark on her page and picked up the fork, pulling the plate of pie towards her.

"Finally," he rejoiced. Rory stopped mid-chew and looked at him curiously.

"What?" she asked.

"You've been staring at that pie for the last quarter of an hour, I thought you were never gonna eat it."

"I couldn't resist," she shrugged. She went quiet again, and this time Luke chose to ask her about what was worrying her.

"What's going on with you?" he asked. Rory regarded him for a moment before answering.

"Nothing," she replied. "Why?"

"You just seem...distant," he told her. "But if there's nothing wrong then I guess I was just imagining things." There were a few minutes of silence where Luke wiped the counter down with an old rag.

"It's this thing at my school," she said finally. He put the rag down and rested his hands on the counter, giving her his full attention.

"Oh yeah?" he asked in interest.

"It's a father/daughter day." Luke nodded in realisation. "You have to bring your dad to school with you and he has to stay with you all day."

"And your dad's not coming?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Rory shook her head and focussed on her pie. "What'd he say?"

"He has to work apparently," she murmured. "He hung up on me when I called him cause the game was starting or something. He had a bunch of friends round and they were drinking and stuff," she admitted quietly. Luke looked at her sympathetically for a few moments before proposing an idea to her.

"When is this father/daughter thing?" he asked.

"On Monday," she sighed.

"You know, I think I have the day off on Monday," he said with a smile. Rory looked up at him with no expression.

"Good for you," she mumbled. Luke carried on though.

"Yeah I have the day off," he repeated. "I don't know what I'm gonna do though, I'll probably watch some TV or something."

"Have fun with that," she said dryly.

"Yup, I have absolutely nothing to do with myself on Monday," he stressed. "Monday is my free day, a day for me." Rory looked at him strangely.

"Why are you acting weird?" she asked, wondering why he was speaking so differently. Luke chuckled.

"Well I thought you were a little smarter than this," he muttered, causing Rory to furrow her brows. He realised he'd have to spell it out for her. "I have nothing to do on Monday, so I might drop by the school, for a couple of hours...or the full day, depends," he shrugged. Rory slowly caught on to what he was suggesting, and looked up at him with a small smile gracing her lips.

"You wanna come to father/daughter day?" she asked, her excitement growing. Luke shrugged.

"I guess I could stop by," he replied nonchalantly. Rory practically bounded off her stool and rounded the counter, bumping straight into him.

"That would be so great!" she squealed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"You think so?" he asked, a small appearing on his face.

"Yeah, you have no idea how much you've saved me here Luke," she told him, hugging him a little tighter.

"Well you're welcome," he said. "Now get out from behind my counter, you're not insured," he warned. Rory gave him one last tight squeeze before pulling away and walking back to her stool. She settled onto it, a huge smile sitting on her face.

"Can I get coffee?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered immediately.

"Decaf," she reasoned.

"Again my answer is no," Rory sighed.

"Just seven more months," she said dreamily. Luke scowled and she smiled sweetly at him. "Why do you hate coffee so much?" she asked. "What has it ever done to you?"

"Coffee kills," he stated.

"Huh, they should really put that on the packet, like they do with cigarettes."

"But those messages don't work anyway," he said. "People still smoke." Rory nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm never gonna smoke, it's gross," she said, scrunching her nose up.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," he muttered.

XXX

Rory got up and moved towards the door later that evening. Lorelai had joined her around four thirty, and the two had spent time eating dinner, and talking with Luke. Rory had filled her mom in on the arrangements for Monday, and Lorelai had spent most of her evening thinking about what a great guy Luke was. But she quickly banished the thoughts when she starting thinking about how great he looked in the light blue flannel he was wearing.

"Bye Luke," called Rory. "Thanks again."

"No problem," he replied as he waved her off.

"Hey hon, go get in the jeep okay? I'll be out in a minute." Rory nodded and took the keys from her, before hurrying over to the car. The two adults watched to make sure she got there okay, then Lorelai turned to smile gratefully at Luke. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"What for?" he asked, although he had an idea.

"For cheering her up, and for offering to go to her school with her."

"Well she was upset, and I can get Caesar to cover while I'm gone."

"So you don't have the day off?"

"No, but I'm the boss," he shrugged. "If I want a day off, I'll have one." Lorelai nodded and walked around the counter, stopping before she went behind it.

"I won't break your 'no one besides employees behind the counter' thing," she said.

"That's a first."

"Come here," she requested. Luke eyed her suspiciously before shuffling his feet to the end of the counter and stopping in front of her. "You have no idea how happy you've made my daughter tonight," she said gratefully. "But if you break your promise, I'll break you," she told him seriously. Luke burst into laughter at her stern expression and she proceeded to slap his arm. "Hey, don't mock me, I'm serious!"

"Okay Lorelai," he chuckled. "I promise you though, she won't be disappointed."

"Good." She moved in and gave him a loose hug, one that sparks feelings up inside of him. "I don't know how to thank you enough," she whispered as she pulled away. Luke shrugged.

"You don't have to," he assured her. "I want to do this." She nodded then moved her face towards his, leaving a soft kiss on his cheek.

"See you later, Luke," she said before turning around and heading towards the door. Luke watched after her, smiling to himself. That was the most contact he'd ever shared with Lorelai Gilmore, and he'd tried his hardest not to let his body react to her.

Lorelai was having similar thoughts as she drove her daughter home from the diner. She found herself thinking about Luke in a different way, often noticing how his shirts clung to him, or how his dark hair curled out from underneath his ball cap. Just little things like that.

And she was beginning to wonder, could she feel something...a bit more than friends towards her coffee supplier and close friend?

**So that's your lot for a week or so...please review and I will update when I get back :D I loooove reviews...**

**Emily.**


	5. Mashed Potatoes

**Hello everyone **** it's been a while since I last posted for this story, but I'm back with a chapter you've been asking for. I have decided to jump back and forth in time, writing Rory at all different ages. So it won't be in chronological order, just so you know. Thank you for the reviews you left, I enjoy reading them :D **

**Rory is eleven in this chapter.**

"Hey sweets, good day at school?" Lorelai asked when Rory made it to the house.

"Always," she replied happily. She kissed her mom hello then walked into the house. She rested her backpack on the kitchen table while Lorelai went to the counter and picked up two pop tarts.

"Here," she said, handing one to Rory. The girl eagerly accepted it and took a huge bite, chewing thoughtfully.

"I have a notice from school," she told her, pulling the piece of paper from her backpack. Lorelai took it from her grasp and held it between her fingers, before skimming the writing quickly.

"Dear parents, we would like to inform you that there has been an outbreak of chicken pox among some of our students, blah blah blah, we recommend you keep an eye out for symptoms such as a rash forming and blistering." She looked up at Rory, who was munching on her pop tart while listening intently. "Chicken pox?" she asked, immediately hoping her daughter didn't catch them. She'd been lucky to avoid the illness when Rory was younger, and she thought she'd passed the stage where it would be a problem. Obviously not, apparently.

"It'll be fine," Rory assured her. "It's not like everybody's gonna catch it." She sauntered towards her bedroom. "Let's watch a movie." Lorelai watched after her until she'd disappeared into her room then stared down at the letter again. She hoped to god Rory didn't catch it, she'd never hear the end of it from her daughter if she had to miss school.

XXXX

Sure enough, just four days later, Rory had the chicken pox. It was Monday morning and Lorelai had gone into her daughter's room to wake her up for school. That part confused her a little, as Rory was usually up and raring to go by six thirty.

"Time to get up sweets," she said softly as she brushed Rory's hair back from her face.

"Ugh," she groaned before rolling onto her back, pulling the covers tighter. It was already seven, and she showed no signs of wanting to wake up yet.

"Hey, you have to go to school," she reminded her, but she got no response. Lorelai sighed and got a firm grip on the top of the duvet, before pulling it off of her and tossing it aside.

"Hmm," came the strangled sound from Rory. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she focussed on her mother, wondering why her duvet had been ripped away from her. "What?" she asked weakly, having not woken up yet.

"School," she stated simply, moving back into a standing position and looking down at her with her hands on her hips. Rory sighed and stretched her arms above her head in her usual morning ritual. Her pyjama top rode up and Lorelai caught sight of what looked to be a rash forming on Rory's stomach. "Hey hang on a second," she said, her tone changing to one of concern.

"What?" asked Rory sleepily. Lorelai reached down and pushed her top up so she could examine the red patches, her face contorting into a frown. She met Rory's eyes and looked at her sympathetically.

"No school today," she told her. "It looks like you've gots the chicken pox." Rory's face fell visibly.

"But I need to go to school," she said desperately. "I can't stay here, I'll get behind."

"You're already three years ahead of everyone in that class Ror; you have nothing to worry about." She exaggerated the first part.

"But..."

"No buts, you're not going to school," she said firmly. Rory pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "And that's not going to work, sorry babe." She ruffled her daughter's hair and left a light kiss on her cheek.

"Aren't you gonna catch it too?" she asked curiously.

"I've already had them," she told her. "You only get chicken pox once." Rory nodded then relaxed back into her pillow, exhaling deeply. Lorelai picked up the duvet and put it back over her, making sure she was tucked in. "Go back to sleep okay? I'm gonna run to Doose's and pick up some oatmeal."

"Hmm," replied Rory sleepily, not even bothering to ask what the oatmeal was for. She certainly wasn't going to eat it and she was pretty sure her mother didn't know how to prepare it anyway.

"Do you want anything sweets?" There was a moment of silence before Rory answered.

"Mashed potatoes," she murmured before going back to sleep. Lorelai watched her for a minute or two before leaning down and leaving a soft kiss on her forehead. She hurriedly grabbed her purse then rushed round to Babette's house.

"Hey sugar!" she greeted, obviously happy to see the young woman.

"Hi Babette, listen, Rory's sick and I need to run to Doose's for some stuff, could you maybe go round a watch her for me till I get back? I don't wanna leave her by herself."

"What's wrong with her?" she asked seriously.

"She caught the chicken pox," Lorelai replied.

"Oh the poor doll, of course I'll watch her," she agreed.

"Thanks Babette, she's sleeping at the moment."

"Okay, I'll stop her from scratching if she wakes up, wouldn't want her to ruin that beautiful skin of hers." Lorelai nodded then backed away from the door.

"I won't be long," she called as she turned around and hurried towards the town square.

XXXX

She browsed the aisles in Doose's, still not completely familiar with the layout of everything. It took her a couple of minutes to find the oatmeal, but when she did, she threw four large bags of it into her cart. She rounded the corner, searching for instant mashed potatoes. She found them a little while later tucked away in a corner with other instant foodstuffs.

She took a moment to read the preparation instructions on the back, frowning when she realised that even instant mash would be a challenge for her. She placed the packet back on the shelf and headed towards the checkout, picking up a multipack of bottled water along the way. She knew there was only one place she could get some mashed potatoes, and she planned on heading right after checking out.

"My, this is a very healthy Lorelai," said Taylor as he rung up her bill.

"It's for Rory actually," she informed him. "She has the chicken pox."

"Oh, well keep her away from the town square; I don't want her infecting everything."

"Don't worry; she's in bed as we speak." Taylor nodded, pleased to hear it.

"So that's six eighty five..."

XXXX

After visiting Doose's, Lorelai walked down the sidewalk to Luke's, hoping he knew how to make mashed potatoes. To her it was a mystery, as was anything remotely related to cooking. She entered the diner, causing the bells to ring, and rushed over to the counter.

"Luke," she called.

"Hang on," came his muffled reply.

"This is urgent," she called. "I'm kinda in a hurry."

"I said hang on," he called gruffly. She sighed and followed the direction of his voice, finding herself in the doorway of the kitchen.

"I need mashed potatoes," she told him. His head snapped up to look at her, his eyes leaving the frying pan of bacon he was making and meeting her questing gaze.

"What are you doing back here?" he asked, completely ignoring her request. "Get out from behind my counter." He checked the bacon then tossed it onto a plate, along with some toast that had just popped out of the toaster. He walked towards the entryway and pointed to the stools along the counter. Lorelai reluctantly complied and perched herself on a stool as he delivered the plate to a customer.

"I need mashed potatoes," she repeated once he was behind the counter again. She had put the water and oatmeal on the counter in the Doose's bag, and Luke spied them suspiciously.

"Why?" he asked confusedly. "And why do you have four bags of oatmeal, plus a dozen bottles of water?"

"Rory's got the chicken pox and the oatmeal's for her to bathe in," she explained. "The water's to keep her hydrated and the mashed potatoes were requested by Rory herself. Do you even know how to make them?" Luke rolled his eyes.

"Of course I do." There was a moment of silence. "Is she doing okay?"

"So far," she answered. "I noticed the rash this morning but the blisters haven't shown up yet."

"It's only a matter of time," he shrugged. "I hope it's not too bad for her."

"Hmm me too, she's already argued with me about going to school," she chuckled. "She's suffering enough as it is."

"She'll be fine, she's already ahead of all those dumb asses anyway." Lorelai smiled.

"I wonder what the parents would say if they heard you talking about their kids like that."

"They can say whatever the hell they want," he said gruffly. They sat in a comfortable silence for another few moments before Lorelai remembered her whole reason for being at the diner in the first place.

"Oh I need those mashed potatoes, stat," she reminded him. "Rory's at home and I wanna get back to her before she wakes up."

"Is she there alone?" he asked, seeming to panic a little.

"Babette's there with her," she assured him. "I'd just rather be there when she comes back to earth."

"The potatoes won't be long," he promised before disappearing into the kitchen again.

"Make 'em extra creamy," she called after him, gaining a grunt in response. Ten minutes later, Luke emerged from kitchen with a plastic container filled with mash. "What took you so long?" she asked, having gotten impatient shortly after he'd disappeared.

"I had to boil the potatoes," he told her. "It's not a two minute job." She shrugged her shoulders and reached for the container, before picking up the stuff she'd purchased at Doose's. "Here," he said, holding a to-go cup out to her. She organised her bags so she had a free hand then gratefully took it from him.

"Thanks Duke," she called as she made her way towards the door. Luke watched after her and shook his head, she really got on his nerves sometimes, but he couldn't stop himself from admiring her rear end and she sauntered out of the diner.

XXXX

"Hey, was she okay while I was gone?" she asked Babette when she got back to her house.

"She started scratching a little when she woke up, but I held her hands up to stop her," she replied.

"Thanks Babette," she said gratefully. "I'm bought some oatmeal so I'll get her in the tub pronto."

"Have fun sugar; I hope she gets better soon."

"Me too," she hoped.

"Mom?" came Rory's weak voice from her bedroom.

"That's my cue." The older woman said goodbye to both Gilmore girls then scurried back round to her house. "You feeling okay hon?" she asked as she entered the room.

"I'm hungry," she complained, sitting up slightly in bed. Lorelai brought her hand to her daughter's forehead and was met with a radiating heat.

"You're burning up," she said.

"Did you get mashed potatoes?" she asked hopefully, licking her lips at the thought of them.

"Yes I did, Luke made you some," she said happily, hoping that the food would cheer her up. She was miserable because she couldn't go to school. She went into the kitchen and plated them up before taking them back to Rory. The eleven year old took the fork and dug into them greedily, not stopping to take a breath between bites.

"Luke makes good mashed potatoes," she said thoughtfully before shoving another forkful into her mouth.

"Good, now eat up, I'm gonna go prepare an oatmeal bath for you." Rory grimaced slightly, hating to think of what she was going to go through in the next hour. "No scratching while I'm gone."

XXXX

That evening, Luke parked his truck in Lorelai's driveway and pulled the take out bag off the seat. He strolled across their lawn, muttering to himself about her needing a walkway, then knocked twice on the front door.

"Come in," Lorelai called from her place on the couch. "If you're a burglar or serial killer, we don't wanna know." Luke rolled his eyes as he pushed the door open, walking into the living room.

"That's no way to answer the door," he told her.

"Works for me," she shrugged.

"I don't think a burglar or a serial killer will just leave when they hear you say that."

"Heh, it doesn't really matter, I mean, how many serial killers do you know in Stars Hollow?" Luke rolled his eyes again. "What are you doing here anyway; shouldn't you be at home doing...hermit things?" she asked curiously.

"I came to see how Rory's doing," he said matter-of-factly. "And I brought more mashed potatoes." He held up the Luke's bag and her eyes narrowed.

"Is there something besides mashed potatoes in that bag?" she asked, sensing the familiar scent her nostrils were picking up on.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "What do I get if there is?" Lorelai gasped.

"Dirty! Really Mr Danes, with my daughter in the next room," she tutted. Luke felt a blush creep onto his cheeks, and did his best to hide it.

"Here, cheeseburger, fries, onion rings and, of course, coffee," he listed as he pulled each item out of the bag. Lorelai's eyes lit up as soon as the word 'cheeseburger' fell from his mouth.

"My hero," she gushed before unwrapping her burger and taking a bite. Luke needed to get out of there before he did something he knew he'd regret.

"Should I uh...take this in for her?" he asked, referring to Rory's dinner.

"Yeah that'd be great, thank you," she said gratefully, her billion watt smile lighting up her face. "She was reading last time I checked on her." Luke walked through the archway and knocked lightly on Rory's door, which was slightly ajar.

"Hey, can I come in?" he asked as he poked his head in.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" she asked confusedly, although it was obvious she was happy to see him.

"I make the food remember," he teased lightly. "You hungry?"

"I fancy some more mashed potatoes, the ones you made me earlier were really good."

"Good job I brought you some more then isn't it?" He pulled another container out of the bag and handed it to her. "I'll get you a fork."

"Thanks, second drawer on the left," she told him as he got up and went into the kitchen.

"Hey there are only plastic ones in here, where's your proper cutlery?" he asked as he poked his head back around the doorframe.

"Mom says plastic is better cause you don't have to wash them afterwards," she explained. "We don't use proper knives and forks." Luke rolled his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time since he entered their house.

"Plastic it is," he muttered as he went back into the kitchen.

"Duke?" Lorelai called, searching for his attention.

"It's Luke," he reminded her.

"Got any ketchup in that bag of yours?" she asked, ignoring his correction. He reached into the bag, which was now on the kitchen table, and fished out three sachets of ketchup. He walked into the living room, dropped them on the table then went back to Rory's room with a plastic fork for her. "Thanks Duke," she shouted after him.

"You're mom's impossible," he complained as he sat on the edge of Rory's bed.

"She likes it that way," she shrugged as she shovelled some mash into her mouth. "How do you make mashed potatoes?" she asked. As academic as she was, she was clueless when it came to cooking.

"You boil some potatoes in water, then mash them up," he explained, unable to hide his smile at the obviousness of his answer.

"Mash them with what?"

"A potato masher," he told her, his smile growing.

"Oh, makes sense," she said with a nod.

"Yeah, then you add a little butter, mix it in and there you have it."

"Cool," she replied. Luke looked at her hands, suddenly noticing that they were covered.

"Why are you wearing mittens with some cat on them?" he asked incredulously.

"That cat, is Hello Kitty," she told him. "And mom made put them on so I can't scratch properly."

"Is it really bad?" he asked, feeling sorry for her. Rory nodded.

"It's itchy if that's what you mean, but I can handle it."

"That's good, it'll pass," he told her.

"Mom made me take an oatmeal bath this morning," she winced. "It was weird."

"I bet it helped with the itching though, right?" Rory nodded again.

"She says I have to take another one before I go to sleep," she pouted, obviously not happy about it. He understood where Lorelai was coming from though.

"She's just looking out for you, she wants you to get better."

"I know," she sighed. "I couldn't ask for a better mom."

"You got that right," he agreed as he watched her polish off her dinner. He had a feeling he'd be making them a lot in the next week or so.

XXXX

And he was right. For the next ten days, he spent a lot of time round at the Crap Shack. He made a large batch of mashed potatoes and would take it round in the morning, leaving Lorelai instructions on how to warm it up for whenever Rory wanted more. He ended up leaving her a post-it note on the microwave because the information he gave her seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

It was now Thursday; exactly ten days after Rory first caught the pox. He went about his usual routine that morning before opening the diner; taking down all the chairs from the tables, doing a bit of last minute cleaning, and of course, making Rory's mashed potatoes. Little did he know, that the two Gilmore girls would be coming in for breakfast that morning, both perfectly healthy.

"Hi Luke," Rory called excitedly as her and Lorelai entered the diner.

"Hi Duke," Lorelai echoed, mimicking Rory's tone.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I'm fine," she told him.

"No you're not, you still have blisters on your face, you should be resting." He turned his attention to Lorelai. "Why did you let her come in here?"

"Oh relax Duke," she feigned annoyance. "She's fine, the blisters have crusted over, she's not contagious anymore."

"And I feel normal again," Rory chimed in for added assurance. Luke looked from one to the other suspiciously, before hesitantly nodding his head.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Do you still want mashed potatoes? I made you some." Rory shook her head, feeling a bit guilty that he'd made them for her when she didn't need them anymore.

"Bring the bacon," she told him. "I have to make up for lost time," she grinned.

"That's my girl," said Lorelai. "Same for me too please, eggs too, and sausage, and hash browns."

"Sounds good," agreed Rory. "And coffee."

"No," both Luke and Lorelai said at the same time. Rory pouted while Luke's eyes shot to Lorelai. Did she just say no to coffee? She noticed his eyes on her and shook her head to clear it.

"No coffee for her, I mean," she clarified. "I'm all for it, in fact, I'll take the whole pot."

"Never gonna happen," he said gruffly as he poured coffee into her blue mug. She took it from him and greedily took a few sips, while Rory had to settle on orange juice. "Your plated death will be ready soon." He put in the order with Caesar then disappeared into the storage room.

"Mom?" asked Rory after taking a few painful sips of juice.

"Hmm."

"Do you think I should thank Luke for coming round to see me all the time while I was sick?" she asked tentatively. Lorelai took the opportunity to glance at her and saw her daughter's innocent face staring back at her. She felt an overwhelming sense of pride at how caring her child was.

"Sure hon, I'm sure he'd appreciate that." Rory nodded and slid off her stool. "Be careful in the storage room, we wouldn't want a jar of pickles to fall on your head," she joked, mimicking Luke's rants about how they shouldn't be anywhere but where the tables are. She giggled as she disappeared through the doorway, and poked her head around the door of the storage room.

"Hey," she said, almost making him jump out of his skin.

"You shouldn't be back here, you could get hurt."

"I know, but I just wanted to say thank you," she said timidly.

"For what?"

"For making me mashed potatoes every day," she told him. "And for coming round to see me."

"You're welcome, I know it's no fun being stuck at home when you're sick." Rory shook her head.

"It's not; I can't wait to go back to school tomorrow."

"Why aren't you in today?" he asked. "I mean, you said you're fine now so..."

"Mom insisted that I take another day off to fully recover," she rolled her eyes. "It means I have to go to the inn with her." Luke nodded. "Anyway, our breakfast is probably done now, so I'd better get back out there. Thanks again." Luke was just about to turn back to what he was doing before when Rory came crashing into him, wrapping her arms around his middle in a tight hug.

"You're welcome," said Luke, awkwardly patting her head. He hated hugs, but when Rory gave him one, he found it quite funny.

"See ya," she said jollily before skipping back into the diner.

That's when Rory Gilmore realised just what Luke Danes would do for her; absolutely anything.

**So the end of another chapter, I want to update this more but I'm focussing on 'It's Just Me and You Now' at the moment. I just had some time today and thought I'd write another one shot, I hope you enjoyed it, please review! I will be eternally grateful, like the aliens on Toy Story :P**

**Emily.**


	6. First Cup of Coffee

**This is shorter than the others, I just wanted to post another one shot, so I got it out really quickly. Thank you for your reviews in the last chapter, although some people have gone AWOL. I would love to hear from you guys again! Enjoy... :D**

**It's Rory's thirteenth birthday.**

"Honey, I'm home," called Lorelai as she and Rory entered the diner one particular evening.

"Find a table, sit down, and wait for me to get to you," Luke ordered as he hurried past them with a plate of chilli fries.

"Hey, I ordered those," she told him, looking at the concoction longingly. Luke simply grunted in response and continued his journey to deliver the meal. "Wonderful service in here," she commented to her daughter as she watched Luke scurry around the packed diner.

"We did come in right in the middle of the dinner rush," said Rory, defending Luke.

"Yeah, yeah, so what will you be having?" she asked, pretending to peruse the menu.

"Put that down," grumbled Luke as he approached their table.

"But I'm looking at the menu," Lorelai protested, grinning devilishly at Rory.

"It's the same old thing; you look at the menu, you ooh and ah over everything, and then you order the same thing you do every time you come in here."

"And what would that be Lucas?" she teased. Luke rolled his eyes and began to walk away from their table.

"Wait, I didn't order yet Luke!" Rory called after him, scowling at Lorelai for driving away the man with the food.

"Cheeseburger, fries and onion rings, right?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Chilli fries, with cheese," she corrected. Lorelai nodded approvingly before chiming in herself.

"And coffee."

"How could I forget?" he asked rhetorically, and also more than a little sarcastically.

"Beats me." They waited a few minutes for Luke to bring their drinks over.

"Coffee," he said to himself as he poured the dark liquid into Lorelai's favourite mug. "And coke for you," he told Rory. "Food will be done soon." He strode off to the next table, leaving the girls to talk amongst themselves. Rory peered into Lorelai's mug and inhaled sharply.

"That smells really good," she said dreamily. "I can't wait to have my first cup tomorrow."

"Speaking of tomorrow," said Lorelai. "I can't believe my little baby Rory is a teenager, it feels like just yesterday that I was rocking you to sleep."

"Mom," she complained, not wanting to hear about her days as a baby.

"What? You'll be the exact same when your kid turns thirteen," she told her. "And that will be way, way in the future, like forty years away."

"Of course," she replied with a smile on her face.

"So what's on the agenda for Rory's great birthday bash of '97?"

"Um...well tomorrow morning I'll be woken by you at exactly 4:03am, as always," she began. Lorelai nodded along. "Then you'll fall asleep in my bed and almost push me off the edge, as always." Lorelai was still nodding in agreement. "We'll each wake up with a stiff neck; I'll open the gift you got me, then we'll come here for breakfast, and for my first cup of coffee." She rubbed her hands together excitedly, eliciting a giggle from Lorelai.

"I can't believe my little munchkin has reached the legal coffee age," she cooed, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I don't think there is a legal coffee age," she said thoughtfully. "You just refuse to give me any yet."

"Well Luke would probably never speak to me again if I gave you coffee before today," she said pointedly. "Then where do I get my fix?"

"You mean your Luke fix?" she asked teasingly. Lorelai felt her cheeks turning red, and hoped to god Rory didn't notice.

"What are you talking about?" she asked incredulously.

"Are you blushing?"

"No," she answered, as if it was the most stupid thing in the world. She covered her cheeks with her hands, while Rory looked at her strangely.

"Oh my god, you can't date Luke," she said sternly.

"What...date Luke? Where are you getting this from?" she asked. "I don't wanna date Luke."

"I've seen the way you look at him."

"I was looking at the food," she retorted.

"You always flirt with him," she pointed out.

"Yeah, so he'll give me coffee," she explained.

"He looks at you like that," she told her.

"You're crazy," she hissed. "I don't like Luke, he doesn't like me, it's strictly a proprietor to customer relationship." Luke overheard the tail end of their conversation as he approached their table with his food, and tried his best to appear normal and not to let on how much her comment had stung him.

"Here," he said as he set them on the table in front of each of them. "Be careful, plates are hot."

"Thanks," said Rory gratefully.

"Yeah thanks Lucas, hey could I get a refill over here?" Lorelai asked as she held her mug out to him. He simply took it wordlessly and filled it up, before returning to their table.

"So, I can have my first cup of coffee tomorrow," Rory told him excitedly. "We'll be in bright and early for it."

"There's no coffee tomorrow," he murmured, still against giving the young girl a sip of the stuff, never mind a full cup. Rory's mouth dropped open momentarily, as did Lorelai's.

"No coffee?" Lorelai asked. "That's like...illegal or something."

"Yeah," Rory agreed. "As a teenager, I am entitled to a cup of coffee in the morning, and at lunch, and in the afternoon, and the evening, and..."

"Okay I get it," he mumbled. "What time should I expect you?"

"Let's say seven," she replied.

"Uh...seven thirty," corrected Lorelai. "Tomorrow is Friday."

"And?"

"She never gets up early on Fridays," Rory explained. "Unless I make coffee for her."

"You know how to make coffee?" he asked, not fond of the idea.

"Yup, it's pretty easy," she shrugged. "Mom likes it strong so I pretty much just pour the whole bag in."

"She shouldn't know how to make coffee," he told Lorelai. "You can make your own."

"But Rory makes amazing coffee," she gushed. "Seriously, it's like almost as good as yours." Luke rolled his eyes as he began to walk away.

"Remember, seven thirty Luke," Rory called to him as he went behind the counter. He nodded, and gave her a small smile, already looking forward to their visit in the morning.

XXXX

Rory raced into the diner the next morning, while Lorelai was still trudging down the sidewalk. The teen bounded over to the counter and plopped onto a stool, grinning up at Luke widely.

"Coffee please," she requested eagerly. Luke eyed her for a moment or two before pointing to a table near the window. Rory's eyes followed his finger, before discovering what he had created for her. There was a chair with a single balloon attached to it; blue, her favourite colour. There was a paper tablecloth with little coffee mugs printed all over it, and there, in the middle of the table, sat a mug of coffee, in a cup that appeared to have her name on it and a picture of...something. Was that a unicorn?

"Happy birthday," he simply said. She turned to smile at him, still a little surprised, as Lorelai finally made it into the building.

"God, learn to slow down once in a while," she huffed. "I can't believe you left me standing in my old age." Her pout was fully intact, but Rory was completely oblivious to her incessant rambling. She was too eager to get over to 'her' table and take a few gulps of that inviting dark concoction. "What's up with you two?" she asked, not realising the display in the corner of the diner. "Hey, Ducas, is there coffee or not?" Luke's eyes found hers and he immediately poured her a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, Rory wondered over to the chair that had been set up for her, and sat down slowly as she pulled the mug of coffee closer to her. She admired the mug, it was a unicorn, she thought. Was that Luke's gift to her, a monogrammed unicorn coffee cup? It certainly held resemblance to the towels he had bought for her on her twelfth birthday.

"Hey, you're gonna miss it," said Luke, pointing with his head over to where Rory was sitting. Lorelai followed his gaze and saw what he'd done for her daughter.

"You did that?" she asked, touched that he would go to such measures to make Rory happy.

"It's not much," he brushed off. "It's just a cup of coffee," he shrugged.

"And a coffee cup tablecloth, oh my god, that is so cool!" she exclaimed. "Can I keep it?"

"Sure, what the hell would I use it for?" Lorelai watched Rory sniff the coffee, before bringing the mug to her lips and taking her first sip of the elixir of life. Luke noticed she'd gone all quiet, and immediately, he knew that meant something was wrong. "You okay?" he asked, nudging her arm over the counter.

"Hmm, I can't believe she's thirteen," she told him. "She's gonna start high school next year."

"Yeah, she's growing up," he agreed. "No more invitations to caterpillars' funerals." Lorelai chuckled, before casting her eyes down towards the counter.

"It's happening so fast," she murmured. "Before I know it, I'm gonna be a lonely old cat lady with a hot shot daughter who's travelling the world as a journalist." Luke could tell she was joking, but he could also hear the sadness she felt on the subject. He had the ability to detect things like that with her.

"You've still got time," he said reassuringly. "And I refuse to believe for a second that you're gonna be a 'lonely old cat lady'."

"How do you know?" she asked with a pout. Luke shrugged.

"Cause you're...you're beautiful," he managed to spit out, although every instinct in his body was telling him not to say it. "Any guy would be lucky to have you, and he'd be stupid to let you go." Lorelai's eyes widened visibly, but before she could get another word out, Rory was approaching them with her empty mug held between her fingers.

"Luke, your coffee is amazing," she gushed. "Can I have some more?"

"No," he said sternly, not taking his eyes away from Lorelai's.

"But..."

"You're lucky I gave you one," he told her. "That's all until tomorrow." He gave Lorelai a somewhat unreadable look, one that could be taken many different ways. She only had one train of thought right now though. Luke turned away and walked into the kitchen to prepare the girls' breakfasts.

That was the first time Lorelai realised exactly how Luke felt about her, and she had three little words flying around in her mind. Oh, my, god.

**Hehe, I realise that this could have had waaay more Luke/Rory moments in, but it just turned out to be more of a Javajunkie story :P I just really like writing about our favourite TV couple. Anyway I hope you stop and take a moment to review before you close your browser window, it would really mean a lot. That's all for now, goodnight!**

**Emily.**

**PS...There will be another chapter of IJMYN soon, maybe Monday. I just need to buckle down and get it written haha. I have 1600-ish words already, so about 5000 more to go **


	7. Lorelai's Broken Leg

**So I have abandoned this...I know! I hope there are still people reading, it isn't one of my most popular fics. **

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews for the last chapter :D I appreciate all your comments. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it was just a random one that came to mind :P.**

**Rory is thirteen.**

"How did this happen?" Rory questioned her mother, as Lorelai lay on the hospital bed getting her broken leg attended to.

"Yoga," she groaned.

"Yeah, you went to yoga with Sookie," she said. "But how did you end up lying in the hospital with a broken leg exactly?" Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Stupid downward facing something or other," she grumbled.

"Mom?" she addressed, trying to probe Lorelai to answer her question.

"I don't know," she whined. "All I can tell you is that yoga is lethal, seriously, it's the stupidest thing I have ever seen."

"I expected Sookie to come outta this with broken bones, not you," she said thoughtfully.

"Pfft, you should have seen Sookie!" she said in exasperation. "She was completely balanced the whole time, and I'm standing next to her looking like I'm having a fit."

"I'm sure you weren't _that _bad," she assured her. Lorelai's head swung round to face her.

"I have a broken freaking leg," she pointed out, her voice gaining volume. "Of course I was bad." Rory frowned and put her hand on Lorelai's shoulder.

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly. She hadn't admitted it yet, but she hated seeing her mother in pain, it made her want to cry.

"Just a little," she replied, her voice softening considerably. She noticed her daughter's frown and was quick to console her. "Don't worry about me, babe," she assured her. "I'll be fine; I just need a bit of TLC."

"And crutches," Rory giggled. Lorelai pretended to look hurt, but could only keep it up for a short while and ended up smiling.

XXXX

Two days later, Rory was in the kitchen attempting to warm up some canned soup, but she was having trouble opening the container.

"Damn can opener," she mumbled as it unattached itself for the fourth time, and refused to cut into the tin. There was a knock at the door, and Rory dropped the utensil, hurrying into the foyer to find out who was on the other side.

"Hey Rory."

"Luke," she sighed happily. "What's up?"

"Well I heard about your mom's leg, and I thought you both might be hungry," he shrugged.

"We are," she confirmed eagerly as she gestured for him to come in and closed the door behind him. He followed her into the kitchen and found the can of soup on the counter.

"Canned soup?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows at the teen. Rory shrugged her shoulders shyly.

"We haven't got much else, I couldn't open it anyway," she admitted. "What did you bring?"

"Real food," he said gruffly. He placed the grocery bag on the counter and began pulling various vegetables out.

"I don't think mom will eat all that," she frowned at his attempt to make food for them.

"Don't worry, she won't even know they're in there," he told her, winking devilishly. Rory grinned at him, before the sound of a bell ringing caught their attention.

"Speaking of mom," she muttered.

"What's that?" he questioned.

"Mom got this bell," she informed him. "And every time she wants something she rings it until I go up there."

"That's like child labour or something," he said.

"It's annoying, is what it is," she grumbled. "It seems like she needs something every five minutes, I hardly have any time to study, and I have this presentation on Thursday and I have to memorise my notes, and make flash cards..."

"Rory," he began softly, trying to calm her down. "I'll go see to your mom and make some lunch for the two of you," he told her. "Go study," he allowed. Rory smiled slightly.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Cause she's really annoying at the moment."

"Positive, and she can't be any worse than usual."

"She is, believe me." Luke chuckled, then shooed her away.

"I'll handle it, go learn stuff," he said gruffly. Rory grinned widely at him then bounced into her room to get on with her studying; her usual Sunday afternoon activity. Luke sighed as he made his way towards the stairs, and began climbing them slowly.

"Rory," Lorelai called, becoming impatient. "Sweet child of mine, where are you?" Luke poked his head around the door, making Lorelai jump. "Luke," she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make lunch for you guys," he replied. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she replied nonchalantly. Luke looked cautiously around Lorelai Gilmore's bedroom; it was one place he had never been before. "So what do I owe this great honour," she asked mockingly. Luke rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Rory said you ring the bell when you need something," he told her. "You rang the bell, I came to see what you need." Lorelai looked up at him, silence washing over them. "Well?"

"It's uh...kinda something Rory should help me with," she said uncomfortably. "I have a call to answer...from nature," she admitted. He stared at her dumbly for a moment or two, before he realised what she meant and his eyes widened uncontrollably.

"Oh," he said nervously.

"Yeah, so um...is Rory available?" she asked.

"She's studying," he shrugged, realising what was happening here. She nodded, not being able to think of an answer. "Can't you use the crutches?" he asked, referring to the two walking aids leaning against her nightstand.

"They're too hard to use," she whined. "It's worse than exercising." Luke rolled his eyes.

"I guess...I could carry you there," he suggested, immediately regretting it when her face lit up and she had that twinkle in her eyes.

"Really Luke, you'll be my knight in shining armour?" she asked, trying to annoy him. Luke just rolled his eyes, which fuelled her to go further. "Will you carry me through the trenches and risk your life, just to save little old me?"

"You're medicated," he grumbled.

"You're my hero," she cooed. Luke exhaled sharply before taking hold of the crutches.

"I'll make you use these if you carry on," he warned her. Her smile vanished and she scowled at him playfully.

"You wouldn't."

"Watch me." He rested the sticks against her bed and turned around, fully prepared to leave the room.

"No, Luke," she called after him longingly. "I need your help; I promise I won't make jokes anymore." And as he always did, he went to her side, longing to be her hero.

XXXX

The mini steak pies with hidden veggies were in the oven, and Luke was pottering around the kitchen looking for something to do. He found the coffee maker and decided to make some, Rory was allowed it now after all.

"Hey," he said as he awkwardly stood in the doorway of her room. Rory looked up from her stack of flashcards and smiled at him.

"Hi Luke, something smells good," she commented.

"Steak pie," he told her.

"I thought pies were usually for dessert," she said thoughtfully. Luke shrugged.

"It's a British recipe," he said. "Thought I'd combine two of your favourite things; red meat and pie." Rory smiled further.

"Sounds great." Luke stepped further into her room and admired all the Hartford paraphernalia.

"You've built up quite a display here," he said in admiration. Rory blushed slightly.

"Yeah, it's just little bits I picked up here and there," she told him. "Mom bought most of it for me." Luke nodded.

"So it's definitely Harvard, huh?"

"Looks that way," she said with a decisive nod. Luke looked down at the floor shyly.

"It'll be strange, you know, you been so far away," he admitted, his face turning pink. "I mean...who's gonna drink all the coffee?"

"I'm sure mom will see to that," she told him.

"Yeah, I guess so," he agreed, although he seemed to be thinking about something else completely.

"It's like, five years away anyway," she said. "There's loads of time till I go away to college." Luke nodded then decided to change the subject, noticing that it was getting a little soppy in an 'I'll miss you so much' sort of way.

"Do you need any help with your studying?" he asked as he leaned over to take a look at what she was doing.

"You can test me if you want; I've been trying to learn it all since before mom's accident."

"Hang on a second," he said as he went out of the room. He reappeared a few moments later holding a mug, filled with fresh coffee. "Made this for you."

"Mmm thank you," she hummed appreciatively as she took a sip of the delicious elixir. "Being thirteen is awesome." Luke had to chuckle just a little bit.

"So how are we gonna do this?" he asked.

"Well I'll have my flash cards with me, so if you take a seat here." She pulled a chair out from her desk and pushed Luke back onto it. "And I'll stand up here." She picked up a notepad with neat scrawl filling the pages. "This is my final presentation, and I have to know this word for word, so read through it as I talk and stop me if I say something wrong," she told him. Luke nodded seriously, like he was being ordered around by the president or something.

"Go ahead," he allowed. Rory took a deep breath, before delving into her speech. Luke was amazed by how confident she sounded, and as he read through the pages of writing, he couldn't believe how many big words she was using, words he had no idea what the meaning of were.

"How was I?" she asked after she'd drawn the presentation to a close.

"Perfect," he told her. "Word for word." Rory jumped up excitedly and squealed, impulsively bounding towards Luke for a hug. It was another of those awkward ones, where Luke pats her on the head cause he's not sure where he should put his hands.

"Is lunch almost ready? I'm starved," she complained.

"About ten minutes," he told her. She fell back onto her bed and arranged her flash cards so they were in order again. That's when they heard Lorelai ringing the bell again. Rory sighed and got up, stopping at the bottom of the staircase.

"What do you want now?" she called, seemingly annoyed.

"I'm really feeling the love, sweets," Lorelai called back.

"I'm studying, what's up?"

"I smell coffee," she shouted.

"What's new? You have it stuffed up your nostrils," she deadpanned, causing Luke to laugh a little from his place in the kitchen. He was already pouring Lorelai a cup of his famous java.

"Did Luke make coffee?"

"Maybe, why?" she replied.

"He did, I know he did. I want some."

"What's the magic word?"

"Coffee!" she called. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Coming up," she gave in before trudging back into the kitchen. Luke was just making his way out, with a cup of coffee held in his hands. "Oh, you poured her some," she said.

"Yeah, figured that's what she was complaining about." Rory nodded. "Want me to take it up to her?"

"No, that's okay," she protested. He was already making lunch for them, and he helped her study. She took the hot mug from him and he glanced at her uneasily. "What?"

"Just...be careful," he warned. "Try not to spill it all over you," he said worriedly.

"I'm thirteen Luke, not three," she giggled, but was secretly touched by his concern for her. "I'll be fine." Luke nodded, although he still seemed unsure. Rory noticed that as she began to ascend the staircase, Luke was watching after her to make sure she reached the top safely. She smiled at that. "The coffee cavalry has arrived," Rory announced as she entered her mother's room.

"Oh, my angel," she cooed as she eagerly accepted the mug from her daughter. She took a few delighted gulps before taking her attention back to Rory. "Is Luke still here?" she asked.

"Yeah, lunch is almost ready," she told her.

"What're we having?" she questioned. "Please don't say salad."

"Mini steak pies," she announced.

"Huh, that sounds...like two of my favourite things put together," she said thoughtfully.

"That was Luke's exact thought while he was making them for us." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "He helped me study," she told her. "He said I didn't make one mistake through the whole presentation."

"Hon, that's great," said Lorelai excitedly. "So seeing as you know what you have to say by heart now, does that mean we can chill out and watch movies every night this week?" she asked hopefully. Rory rolled her eyes.

"I have to keep practising, mom," she said. "If I don't practice I'll forget it all, then I'll have to start all over..."

"Okay I get it," she groaned. "I sometimes wonder if I brought the wrong baby home from the hospital."

"Hmm, I bet grandma and grandpa think the same thing about you." Lorelai scowled at her.

"Evil child," she mumbled. Rory smiled as she swept out of the room, hearing the clattering of plates and cutlery from the kitchen.

"Sounds like lunch is done," she sing-songed as she skipped across the landing and down the steps.

XXXX

"This is really good, Luke," Rory complimented as she took another generous forkful of pie.

"Glad to hear it," he replied as he ate his own. His was made with chicken though, rather than beef. Lorelai had been given hers upstairs, and was thoroughly enjoying each bite she took, oblivious to all the hidden vegetables that had gone into it.

"So where did you learn to cook?" quizzed Rory. Luke cleared his throat and took a sip of his water to stall.

"My mom," he admitted shortly. Rory nodded.

"Did she cook all the meals? Like Donna Reid?" she asked. Luke furrowed his brows.

"Who's Donna Reid?" Rory giggled, but soon realised he was actually serious.

"Oh my god, you don't know who Donna Reid is?" she asked. "She's like, the biggest, fakest housewife to ever grace this earth!"

"I'm guessing it's some TV show or something, that's usually where your weird references come from." Rory sighed, preparing to launch into full on rant mode.

"It's all about how women should be, like the perfect housewife," she said. "Donna Reid always had the meals on the table for when her husband came home from work, and she'd bake a thousand different things in a day; donuts, cookies, pies, you name it and Donna can make it."

"And you have a problem with this, I'm assuming." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Of course I have a problem with it!" she said exasperatedly. "Women are always portrayed to be the cook and the cleaner and that's not how it should be. We can go out to work too, and men are quite capable of cooking, I mean, take a look at you. It just bugs me is all."

"I can see that," he said. "But you know that it's not always like that, just take a look at your mom."

"I know, but she doesn't have a husband to cook for anyway," she said, somewhat sadly. Luke picked up on it.

"And you wish she did?" he asked, picking at her brain. Rory shrugged.

"I'm not necessarily saying that," she told him. "I just got to thinking that if she did get married, would he expect her to make dinner for him every night? And would he be angry if it wasn't ready for when he got home from work?"

"Your mom wouldn't take any of his crap," he chuckled. "But if he's the right guy for her, he won't care that she can't cook, or that she orders take out every damn night. He won't care that she fills her body with junk and is halfway to death's door, and he won't care that she talks a mile a minute, two miles when she's had coffee." Rory grinned. "He'll overlook all those things and see the good things, cause they're all the traits that make her who she is."

He realised that he had gotten away with himself and was now reminiscing about how fantastic Lorelai was, with said woman's daughter no less. "Uh...yeah, so you don't have to worry about that whole Donna Reid thing," he said gruffly, trying to sound how he usually would.

All the way though his speech, Rory had been picturing Luke and Lorelai as a couple. She thought about how great they would be together, how well they fit with each other, and how well they got along already. It was the perfect scenario, if only the two adults could see that, or rather, if Lorelai could see that.

Rory Gilmore went to bed that night a very happy teenager, and as she drifted off to sleep, she fantasised that Luke Danes was making dinner for them every single night.

**Hope you liked it! **

**Please review, I like to know everyone's thoughts and if anyone has any ideas they wanna pass forward, that would be great too!**

**See you soon,**

**Emily.**


	8. Luke's Daughter

**Hi everyone. I know I haven't updated this story in forever, but I've been sidetracked with job hunting and my other stories. I have a job interview tomorrow, YAY! **

**Thanks for the reviews :D I know this is a short one, sorry. **

**This fits into season six, shortly after Lorelai and Rory find out about April.**

Rory pulled her Prius up outside the Crap Shack and jumped out quickly. Her mom called; Luke had a daughter, a daughter he didn't know existed the last twelve years. Lorelai didn't sound particularly upset over the phone, her tone held disbelief and Rory noticed a hint of betrayal also, something she never thought she'd have to worry about with Luke.

"Mom?" she called as she walked into the darkened house. All the drapes were closed, the TV was off, and there was absolutely no sign of life. After checking the ground floor area, she trudged her way upstairs and knocked softly on the closed bedroom door. No answer. She slowly pushed the door open, making it creak with the speed it was moving at, and sure enough there was Lorelai, resting against the headboard and staring into space. "Mom?" she repeated.

Lorelai turned her head towards the voice she just heard and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips when she saw her Rory.

"Hey," she said, it was obvious she had been crying just a little bit; her voice was hoarse and there was mascara down her cheek.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" she asked softly as she came to sit down on the bed next to her mother. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to play with the bed covers between her fingers.

"Just easier to think that way," she muttered in reply. There were a few minutes of silence before Lorelai spoke up again. "He has a daughter, Rory," she said in disbelief as her eyes clouded with tears.

"How long has he known about her?" she asked, rubbing her mom's back soothingly.

"Two months," she said in a small voice. Rory's eyes widened in shock before she wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Oh mom."

"He's known about her for two months and he didn't think to tell me," she sniffled. "I'm his fiancé, this is generally something you share with someone you're gonna marry."

"Mom, come on, this is Luke. He had to have had a reason as to why he kept it from you for so long," she said thoughtfully. "He wouldn't do anything to cause a rift between the two of you."

"Yeah, well, that's what I thought too." She wiped her eyes furiously before falling back into her pillows, pulling her duvet up over her head.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" she asked thoughtfully. "Some coffee maybe?"

"No, I can't drink coffee right now," she replied, her voice muffled by the sheets. "I could do with a dose of Ben and Jerry though." Rory scrambled off the bed and looked down at her mother's still form. It was rare that Lorelai ever got upset over anything, so when she did, it was always something serious.

"Chocolate Fudge Brownie or Cherry Garcia?" she asked.

"The first one," Lorelai answered. "I need all the chocolate I can get right now." Rory nodded and walked towards the door. She rushed down the steps, stuck a spoon in a pint of Ben and Jerry's then hurriedly took it up to her mother.

"Hey, I'm going to the store," said Rory. "We're out of Pop Tarts."

"Heaven forbid," replied Lorelai as she sat up to take the ice cream from her daughter. Little did Lorelai know, but there was half a box of Pop Tarts left downstairs, and Rory was just looking for an excuse to get out of the house.

"I won't be too long, okay?" she asked. "Is there anything else you need while I'm out?" Lorelai sighed.

"Chocolate," she replied quietly. Rory nodded and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

After leaving her mother upstairs in the dark with Ben and Jerry, Rory hurriedly left the Crap Shack and jogged into the centre of town. She stopped outside the diner, and as she looked through the window, she noticed a young girl sitting at the counter doing her homework. She had long brown hair, and dark eyes shielded by her glasses. She didn't particularly look like Luke, but Rory knew when the man in question placed a chocolate milkshake in front of the girl, that she was indeed, his daughter.

She couldn't believe it; Luke Danes, a father. And to a twelve year old as well, a twelve year old he had met two months ago. She found herself wondering why he wouldn't tell Lorelai about her, she could have helped him get used to the idea; she could have given him parenting tips. She shook her head and focussed on the father and daughter as they interacted with each other.

Luke had helped Rory with her homework once; it was at the diner while she was waiting for Lorelai to finish work. She had to design something made of wood, and she had no idea where to start, so Luke gave her ideas and helped her with the dimensions and stuff. She was reminded of that time as she watched Luke do it with his biological daughter, and it just reminded her that she would never be Luke's proper daughter.

Watching the two, she knew she had been replaced. Luke wouldn't need her anymore because he had a kid of his own to care about. She would just be shoved aside. She had lost her father figure.

Through all her thinking, she hadn't realised that Luke had seen her and was exiting the diner.

"Rory?" he asked as he stepped onto the sidewalk. She swung around and looked straight at him, her heart rate increasing from being interrupted.

"Luke," she replied, a little two enthusiastically.

"Are you okay?" he questioned. She seemed to have been in a daze before.

"Hmm, oh yeah, I'm fine," she brushed off. "I was just um..."

"Visiting your mom, right?" he filled in for her. She nodded sheepishly before looking back through the window at Luke's daughter, who was still engrossed in her homework.

"She told me your news," she said. Luke seemed to inhale deeply.

"Is she doing okay?" he asked in concern. "Cause she seemed pretty upset when she left here before."

"I'm not gonna lie to you, Luke," she began. "She's sitting in bed, in the dark, eating ice cream. She'd probably kill me if she knew I told you that, but you have a right to know."

"Jeez, I feel terrible about keeping this from her, but I just...there was never a right time."

"You should be telling that to her right now, not to me." Luke placed his hands on top of his baseball cap and looked back at April through the window. Rory followed his gaze, a hint of jealously creeping into her voice.

"What's her name?" she asked. "Mom never got into details."

"April," he replied proudly. Rory nodded then averted her eyes to the floor.

"She's pretty." Luke nodded in agreement.

"Did you wanna come in and meet her? I can get you some coffee," he offered. Rory simply shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"That's okay, I don't wanna intrude or anything," she said.

"You wouldn't be," he assured her. But Rory shook her head harder.

"Really, I should get back to mom. I came out to get chocolate." Luke sighed.

"Okay then," he agreed. "I should get back inside." He began to walk towards the door, back turned to her.

"I guess you don't need me anymore, huh?" she asked, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around slowly and narrowed his eyes at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked tentatively.

"Well you have April now, she's your daughter, your flesh and blood," she told him. "I've been replaced." She didn't look upset, or heartbroken, she was speaking in a neutral tone.

"That's not true," he protested.

"No, it is, I get it," she assured him. "It happened when dad got Gigi, and it's happening now that you have April. You don't need little old me anymore."

"Rory," he warned. "I'll always be here for you, always." She nodded as she began to turn away.

"I know," she agreed. "But I also know that April's gonna come first in everything, and I'm okay with that, I am. I'll just miss being the only one." With that she turned away and walked down the street, ignoring Luke who was calling after her.

And it was then, that Rory Gilmore wondered where her place now was in Luke Danes' heart.

**Kind of a sad one there, but I hope you liked it all the same. I know it was extremely short, but there was nothing more to go into this chapter. **

**Leave a review if you want to.**

**Emily.**


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